Burning Years
by donttrustdontfeardontask
Summary: Rei doesn't understand it, but Minako doesn't blame her, because she doesn't understand it either. Sailor Moon, referencing PGSM.


_Summary_: Rei doesn't understand it, but Minako doesn't blame her, especially considering that she doesn't understand it either. Sailor Moon, referencing PGSM.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything in regards to Sailor Moon or Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, except this idea.

_A/N_: I apologize in advance for any mistakes that will be in this piece. It's almost two in the morning, so I have about an hour until I am no longer a legal minor, and there was this voice in my head all night nagging me to write up one more thing before I'm legally an adult. My inner voice is weird and obnoxious like that. So, I've spent most of the night wracking my brain for ideas, starting and deleting a whole bunch of stories, before looking back at my old work and finding some old ideas and conversations. Then I finally got my inspiration.

However, I haven't had Language Arts in 4-5 months, and in those months I didn't have it, most of my time was devoted to calculus, chemistry, and biology (or, rather, trying to beat my procrastination problem to devote my time to those subjects). I did edit this, but I'm really rusty right now. Please forgive any horrendous, stupid, glaring mistakes.

**Burning Years**

Minako remembers dying and being brought back to life on a Thursday. It's just a regular Thursday; absolutely nothing special had happened that day, and there's just no reason for that memory to have been brought about, but it still happens as Minako's sitting on a park bench, thinking. She's not thinking about anything in particular, just about school, friends, senshi duties... and then she remembers past plans and past fights, and she remembers past victories and past losses, and –

She remembers the headaches, and the white walls, and then seeing white that had nothing to do with the walls before she saw black. Everything had hurt, but at the same time she had felt numb, before she felt nothing.

When she wakes up with absolutely no memory of ever passing out, Rei is there next to her, face carefully impassive as she takes in the exhausted but awake state of her friend. But before she can do anything, Minako, for reasons that Rei doesn't quite understand, sits up and grabs onto her hand. It's not really tight or really loose, but just enough that Minako knows that Rei's there, and Rei doesn't have the heart to make her let go.

Minako is finally ready to speak a few minutes later, but when she does her face is uncharacteristically impassive in a way that Rei hasn't seen in years. It scares her, but she remains silent, hoping for an answer if she does this. Her wish comes true a few minutes later as Minako speaks,

"I died."

But Rei doesn't get it. Minako doesn't blame her.

"No, you didn't," Rei argues, clearly confused. "You just passed out. I found you on a bench, and I brought you back here, but you were just unconscious. You're alive."

"I died. In the most recent past life."

Rei sort of seems to get it then, "Well... yeah. But it's not a big deal. We all die in our past lives. It's depressing, but it's nothing new."

And Minako wants to hit herself on the forehead, because no, Rei doesn't get it after all. She tries to explain it. She can't look Rei in the eye. "No, Rei. I... I _died_. I wasn't killed in battle like in the other past lives. I was sick, Rei, and I _died_." Rei still looks confused, so Minako keeps going, "I died. And you, you – you cried for me. And we weren't even friends in that life time. At least, not like we are now." Minako's not quite sure where this is leading her now, but she just needs to get it off her chest. "We were always at each other's throats, Rei. You were always challenging me as leader and I was always testing you to see if you were good enough to be leader after I'd died. I'd known I was going to die, Rei. I _knew_." Suddenly Minako hates herself, just _hates _herself because even though that wasn't her, it was still _her_, and she feels like the worst fucking leader in the world right then. "And I was stupid and stubborn, and, _gods,_ Rei, I died!"

Rei's eyebrows furrow, and she doesn't know what to say. "I... I don't understand."

"I _died_, Rei. And you... you _cried_ for me..."

There's really nothing that Rei can say to that. She doesn't understand it at all. She doesn't understand why that memory is so significant over all the other memories of them being killed, because from every past life she's remembered, she'd always cried when the others had died. She doesn't understand why it's affecting Minako like this. She stays seated anyways, because Minako is still holding onto her hand and doesn't seem to be letting go anytime soon as she sits and shakes, trying to hold back tears. And Rei doesn't understand it, but she just can't make herself get up and leave Minako when she's in such a state. It's too cruel.

But Rei really just _doesn't understand_. And Minako wants to blame her. But she can't, because what she's feeling isn't something that even she's sure that she understands; and besides, Rei's here, and she's not leaving, and as they sit together, neither one any closer to understanding than the other, that's more than Minako even thought she could ask for.

_Fin_

_A/N:_ I hope you enjoyed it! Once again, I apologize for any mistakes that may have snuck their way into this story, especially if they're the glaringly obvious and therefore embarrassing kind. So any comments, questions, or concerns? Please take the time to drop a review; it would be much appreciated if you did! Especially if you have any constructive criticism for me, or, you know, just straight out praise. :P

I apologize further for any incoherency in this piece. It's about 2:00 in the morning... but I was determined to get this out. XD But any mistakes that you want to point out to me, or if there's any particular sections you think I can improve, I will gladly take a look and edit it!


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